WHILE Muslims in Malaysia are looking forward to a joyous Hari Raya with their families and friends, the special day means little to a family of six in Kampung Sungai Jai in Beranang, near Nilai, who have neither new clothes nor duit raya to look forward to.
Providing for the family rests squarely on the shoulders of 75-year-old grandmother Sharifah Manap, who, despite her frail appearance, takes on odd jobs around her village to put food on the table for her five grandchildren aged between seven and 13.
The children’s father is unemployed and rarely makes an appearance while their mother left them four years ago.
Simple wish: Sharifah Manap (centre), who does odd jobs to provide for her five grandchildren (surrounding her) says her only wish for Hari Raya is to have food on the table. The family live in a one-room house with hardly any furniture. “What can I do? They are my flesh and blood. I can’t turn them out on the street. I try to get work, washing dishes and cleaning homes, but with six mouths to feed and children to clothe, it’s far from enough.
“We have so little food to go around that most days, I sacrifice my share so that the children can have a little more. Raya is just another day. Dapat makan cukuplah (having food on the table is more than enough),” she said tearfully.
Her grandchildren – twins Mohd Rafie and Norhafiza, 13, Norshafiqa, 11, Mohd Hafiz, nine, and Norshahida, seven, echo their grandmother’s sentiments and did not have any request for the festive occasion.
“We are more than happy with the used clothes and things that villagers hand us. At least, we have each other. That is most important during Raya – to be a family,” said Mohd Rafie.
His youngest sibling Norshahida said she could not recall ever having received duit raya.
“That must be nice. If I got duit raya, I’d buy a new baju kurung for nenek (grandmother),” she said.
However, the management of nearby Staffield Country Resort in Mantin is hoping to change the family’s bleak outlook by raising funds and providing for them through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.
Its public relations head, Jini Sebastian, said the family of six was chosen as a benefactor of charity events, including golf tournaments, held at the resort.
“We’ve basically ‘adopted’ them for a year, which means that we will be checking up on them and providing them with the basic neccessities.
“Part of our CSR initiative is to pick a charity to contribute toward every year, and when we heard of this family through our employees, we knew we had to do something to assist them,” she said.
Employees from the resort even held a gotong-royong to spruce up the family’s one-room house.
“When we first came here, the house was in an appalling condition. The front and back doors could not even be closed. So, we made the neccessary repairs, which included fixing the roof, changing the ceiling, replacing broken shutters and door knobs, installing proper piping and putting in a countertop and sink for the kitchen.
“We gave them cupboards and lined the floors with linoleum, too,” Sebastian said.
The family currently sleep on mats in their spartan living room and during the day, the children have their meals and do their homework seated on the floor.
Sebastian expressed hope that this would soon change, and her team from Staffield intends to raise funds to provide some furniture for the family, including beds, mattresses and a dining table.
“There’s still a lot to be done and we would appreciate all the help we can get.
“We hope that members of the public will come forward and contribute to this needy cause. As a community, we have to give these children hope for the future. Let’s make their Raya a memorable one,” she said.
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